The Internet is now an important component in our modern lifestyle. It is common for a user to run a computer network in their home to connect devices to one another and to the Internet. In most cases, a home user will use a Wifi (wireless) connection to connect devices within their home or garden.
Modern technology has evolved to make it easy for a home user who is not experienced in information technology (IT) to set up a computer network within their home. Devices are usually designed to be “plug and play” such that a device is ready to operate as soon as it is plugged in and powered up. This makes it relatively easy for a home user to set up a computer network.
The downside to plug and play devices is that a plug and play device will usually connect the device to a network using default settings which may not be optimal. A home user might not have the necessary technical knowledge or inclination to optimise the configuration of a device.
A home computer network which is set up by a user with the default plug and play device settings may have a relatively low level of security. The network might therefore be vulnerable to attack by a malicious party. In the case of a Wifi connection, a malicious party can relatively easily hack into a Wifi network by circumventing the default Wifi encryption, if indeed encryption is being used at all. A malicious party can therefore connect to a user's Wifi connection without their knowledge and access the network and the Internet. The malicious party could then launch a hacking attack elsewhere on the Internet via the home user's Internet connection. When the hacking attack is examined, the IP address used in the attack will be traced back to the unsuspecting home user and not to the malicious party.
A further problem for home Internet users is that malware, viruses, trojans and phishing attacks are common. Viruses and malware are relatively successful in infecting computers, especially with the rise in use of social networks.
A home computer user can also face significant problems if their home computer network stops functioning. It can be difficult for a home user with no technical knowledge to troubleshoot network connectivity issues.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved monitoring arrangement for use with a computer network.